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How will Denver's hiring of Sean Payton impact Russell Wilson?

Payton went 152-89 as the head coach of the Saints, winning the NFL's Coach of the Year award in 2006.

DENVER — Sean Payton will become the 19th head coach in Denver Broncos history after the team agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints to acquire the 59-year-old's services.

New Orleans will receive Denver's 2023 first round pick (No. 29 overall) as well as a 2024 second round pick, in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third round pick.

While terms have not been announced, it is also expected that Payton will become one of the highest paid head coaches in the league.

The move comes after Denver's last coach, Nathaniel Hackett, was fired after just 15 games with the Broncos, who were sitting on a 4-11 record after getting dismantled by the Rams on Christmas Day, losing 51-14.

Denver swung a massive trade to acquire longtime Seattle Seahawks quarterback and Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson last offseason, but the pair of Hackett and Wilson failed to produce much of anything offensively for the Broncos, leading to a change.

Locked on Broncos hosts Cody Roark and Sayre Bedinger are hoping the addition of Payton will be a positive addition for Wilson.

"Russell Wilson is [a quarterback] who needs good coaching, who needs that voice, needs that scheme with him," Bedinger said. "And I think Sean Payton is going to give it to him."

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Payton went 152-89 as the head coach of the Saints across 15 seasons, winning the NFL's Coach of the Year award in 2006 - the same year he led New Orleans to a Super Bowl victory.

Payton's offenses were consistently among the best in the NFL, led by superstar quarterback and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

Payton wasn't just successful because of Brees, however, his teams always had excellent balance - which is what Roark believes will help Denver in 2023.

"This Broncos offense has to be designed in a way that takes a lot of the pressure off of Russell Wilson," Roark said. "If you're quarterback has all the pressure to succeed, more than likely it's not going to be sustainable. That's why you have to have balance. And you know how you do that? You find a way to run the football...everything is there for the Broncos to make this happen."

Bringing Payton on board was not cheap for Denver - both financially and from a draft capital perspective - but last year proved how important having symmetry between a head coach and a quarterback can be.

Wilson and Payton share a lot in common, and it's not hard to see this relationship working out swimmingly for Denver this season.

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